Gardens and Gazebos

Bamboo grown in pots is a perfect complement to the patio

As a bamboo nursery in Northern California, I often get asked the question - can you grow bamboo in pots. Yes! You can - and it makes a beautiful complement to your patio garden.

Its an especially viable option if you live in a suburban garden like mine, its a good way to enjoy running varieties (those bamboo varieties that have invasive rhizomes) without having them in the ground. For those living on a small lot with neighbors nearby, I never recommend running bamboo unless
(1) you have a rhizome barrier installed or
(2) they are container grown. Unlike clumping bamboos, most running bamboos can be very aggressive and can be a source of neighbor-to-neighbor strife.

I have had success growing bamboo in decorative pots in a couple of different ways. My black bamboo (phylostachys nigra), is growing with some gusto in a metal horse trough that I got for free from my neighbor. Depending upon the style of your garden, these troughs can be attractive.

Using a drill bit made for metal work, I drilled several holes in the bottom, created an airgap by placing the trough on bricks. This is dome to prevent rhizomes from escaping the container and into the ground below.

I also have planted four running bamboos in glazed ceramic pots. I have read some literature recommending unglazed to let the soil breathe, but on the flip side unglazed during the summer tends to dry out the soil in the pot. Especially here in Sacramento, where we get several days of temps over 100 F in the summer. That can mean a dead bamboo plant - real quick. All that said, I have had nothing but success using the glazed pot.

Like the horse trough, I have the glazed pots sitting on granite pavers I had left over from our front yard landscaping project last spring. That said, a pot with running bamboo, on a patio serves the same kind of protection against escaping rhizomes (no, bamboo rhizomes cannot pierce concrete).

Container grown bamboo put in a decorative container adds style and interest to any garden or patio.

Try it out sometime.... you will be pleasantly surprised.

• Bamboo grown in pots